The Madness Is Ending, But Our Work Is Just Getting Started
We love the NCAA® tournament. We love the pressure, the intensity and the unpredictability. We live with – and thrive on - these conditions every single day.
As the tournament comes to a close, enjoy tonight’s game and some NCAA trivia to challenge yourself and your co-workers.
Tourney Firsts
- First NCAA tournament? 1939 and won by Oregon. Ducks haven’t reached the Final Four® since.
- First time two #1 seeds met in the finals after the field expanded to 64 teams? 1993 Michigan-North Carolina, aka the Chris Weber timeout game.
- First #15 seed to beat a #2? Santa Clara – led by Steve Nash – against Arizona, 1993.
Bracketology
- Rule #1. Always pick a 12 seed to beat a 5. Since 1985, #5’s have been upset 44 times.
- Rule #2. Always pick Gonzaga. In 18 trips to the tournament, they’ve only been eliminated in the first round 4 times.
- Rule #3. Always count on some under-estimated team to come out of nowhere and bust your bracket.
Unique
- Yale pulled the 12-5 upset over Baylor in the first round this year, but Penn remains the only Ivy League team to reach the Final Four, which it did in 1979.
- Kentucky has had more coaches win national titles (five) than any other school: Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith and John Calipari.
- Speaking of Kentucky, The Kentucky High School Athletic Association owns the trademark on the term “Sweet Sixteen” and licenses it to the NCAA.
Odds & Ends
- What were the odds of creating a perfect bracket this year? One in 9.2 quintillion. You have better odds of becoming an astronaut and golfing on the moon. With the President.
- Who is basketball’s most hated player? Hint: He’s also the tourney’s biggest scorer. Christian Laettner holds the current record for most career points in the NCAA tournament with 407. So why the haters?
- What’s the only year all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four? 2008. Who were they? Kansas, North Carolina, Memphis and UCLA.
Never miss a second of the NCAA action. Call TQL to handle your loads, day, night, or even at halftime – 800-580-3101 or request a quote online.
